Friday, Dec. 7-Understanding the Channel Islands: An Interdisciplinary Approach

The CSUCI Biology Program presents "Understanding the Channel Islands: An Interdisciplinary Approach," a symposium set for 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7. The symposium is free and open to the public, and those who plan to attend are asked to register at the following website: biology.csuci.edu/islandviews. The event will be held on the CSUCI campus in the Aliso Hall Auditorium.

Limited parking is available on campus and is $6 for a daily permit. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station/Lewis Road parking lot in Camarillo with shuttle service to and from the campus until 10 p.m. Riders should board the CSUCI Vista bus. There will be way-finding signage on campus directing attendees to parking and the event.

The symposium will feature the following speakers: Robert J. Lagomarsino, former U.S. Congressman; CSUCI President Richard R. Rush; Kate Faulkner, Chief of Resource Management at Channel Islands National Park; Chris Mobley, Superintendent of Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary; Tim Coonan, Channel Islands National Park Terrestrial Biologist; and CSUCI faculty members, Scott Frisch, Dan Wakelee, Colleen Delaney-Rivera, Steven Norris, Sean Anderson, Ching-Hua Wang, Don Rodriguez.

This symposium focuses on educating the public with the knowledge of and the issues related to the Channel Islands. The symposium will explore the biological, ecological, conservational, anthropological, and political aspects of the Islands.

The Islands and the surrounding ocean environment provide a wealth of natural and cultural resources. The Channel Islands are home to more than 2,000 terrestrial plants and animals, of which 145 are found nowhere else in the world. Like the Galapagos Islands of South America, isolation has allowed evolution to proceed independently on the islands. Marine life ranges from microscopic plankton to the blue whale, the largest animal to live on earth. Archeological and cultural resources span a period of more than 10,000 years of human habitation.

For more information about the symposium contact Catherine Hutchinson, Instructional Support Tech for Biology and Natural Sciences, 805-437-8403 or catherine.hutchinson@csuci.edu.